The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-12-24
MIRACULOUS ESCAPE.
Seven Passenger Cars Smashed and
No One Killed Outright.

CHICAGO, Dec 23-Probably the worst
shaking up ever given train load of passen-
gers, without killing a single person out
right occurred to $50 people coming to
Chicago in the regular seven coaches on the
Minnesota and Northwestern road this
morning. Fully forty passengers were in
jured, five of them seriously and two, per-
haps, fatally. Though there was not a
single one of the seven coaches but what
had both ends smashed in, and all
were pitched off the track, some being
hurled over on their sides, there was no
conflagration. This is made moro strange
by the fact that all the coaches were fitted
with the old-fashioned stove in the corner
Another remarkable feature is that the
affair happened just after the train had
passed long bridge 10 feet high. The ac-
cident occurring a moment sooner would
have made a catastrophe of fearful fatality.
A PASSENGERS STORY.
The details are best given in the words of
one of the passengers, John H. Davidson,
a resident of st. Paul, who arrived here
this morning from the wreck "It was a
merry crowd on board, said he, $50 many
of them were excursionists. There were
seven cars. First the baggage, then the
first-class passenger, second-class passenger,
buffet and three-sleepers, including one
Mann boudoir car. In the $50 persons was
a holiday excursion party of fifty, mainly
from Winnipeg. The other passengers
were nearly all from Minnesota, Montana
and Dakota. We were left at Freeport
twenty miles behind and were
at German alley. | was Just
telling a story-it was never fin
ished-when there came sudden, fearful
jolt, and then a swaying and plunging for
ward of the car. Something struck me
across the thighs or | was thrown against
it, dazing me for moment. People were
being tumblet in every direction, shrieking
and groaning, while the horrible jolting
seemed unending and the crunching and
creaking of the car timbers were telling
that every moment might be our last.
sCRAMBLING TO GET OUT.
Before the car came to a stop the pas
sengers were scrambling helter sketer over
each other to get out. When | reached the
air | was bruised and sore all over and
scarcely able to stand, owing to the pain
across my thighs; but noticed that moth
ing of the tram was ON the track but the
engine. We had been going about twenty
five miles an hour and the cars had plunged
along the ties or gone off on either side
from 100 to 200 feet. One coach
had left its trucks and had slid away out In
a cornfield, ploughing the dirt TO depth Of
TWO or Unree IeeC. Dltb was over every
body ladies and all. 1t would have been
ludicrous if it had not been pitiful to see
bloodstains through the mire, and hear the
means of those who were hurt. Broken
glass had done mos painful work.
NOBODY HELPLESS.
Nearly everybody could get around
themselves, though cut and bruised and
besmrched The ladies were huddled into
the boudoir car and made as comfortable as
possible while waiting for surgeons from
Freeport. Three gentlemen were found to
be laid up with very severe hurts, and two
ladies had been carried into farm house
apparently H. dying condition One was
Miss Hume, Of Dubuque. Her injuries were
in the hip and back. We we're all too glai
to have escaped to care much about how
the accident occurred. II was ascertained,
however, that it was due to the spreading
of the rails" ="